Nowadays, an anime show is more than just one or two seasons. You have movies, OVAs, spin-offs, preques, sequels – and they’re not always released in chronological order!
So when you decide to settle down and watch a new anime recommended to you by a friend or by other anime fans, sometimes choosing a watch order can be a little overwhelming and confusing.
The last thing you want to do is watch the OVAs in the wrong order and have a plot twist spoiled, or accidentally begin the sequel with no clue to what’s going on.
But don’t worry – here’s our guide to the watch order for Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)!
Warning: The Following Guide May Contain Spoilers for Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)
Mirai Nikki (known as Future Diary in the US) is a fantasy horror anime that follows a young boy named Yukiteru Amano, known as Yuki. Yuki is lonely and quiet, with his only companion being his imaginary friend – Deus Ex Machina, the God of Time and Space.
However, Deus Ex Machina is not just a figment of Yuki’s imagination. He is real, and enrolls Yuki as a player in a battle royale called the ‘Diary Game’.
Yuki and eleven other participants are given a diary that can predict the future but only one of them will survive the game.
Mirai Nikki first aired in 2011 in Japan, and ran for just 26 episodes. It’s a fun, quirky anime that is still a favorite today among anime-watches, balancing the thrills with the violence incredibly well.
Survival games are always popular, and this one brings a new spin with its unique twists to the rules. With great animation and art, Mirai Nikki is an interesting mix of genres, merging thriller and romance in one big melting pot of anime.
What To Watch First
First up, you’re going to have to watch Mirai Nikki (Future Diary). Watching the original series first will explain the whole plot and universe to you, including the rules of the Diary Game and set the tone for the whole anime.
You will meet the characters, including the protagonist Yuki, and follow them through their journey in this battle royale anime. Each character is diverse and fleshed out, standing out against one another incredibly well.
Another stand out character apart from our protagonist Yuki is Yuno Gasai, an obsessive stalker who also holds a future diary (you may recognise her from a couple of yandere memes from the early 2010s).
We also recommend you watch all 26 episodes in order, as there are no flashbacks or time skips that could cause any confusion. There’s also a little clip played at the end of every episode, so it is worth waiting until the very end to begin the next episode.
So sit back and enjoy the mind games at play while you watch the original Mirai Nikki anime first.
What To Watch Next
Once you have watched the original anime and your heart is aching for more Mirai Nikki, then it’s time to switch on the Mirai Nikki: Redial OVA.
Released in 2013, this OVA serves as an epilogue and conclusion to the original anime. Set two years after the ending, it was based on the final chapter of the Mirai Nikki manga and wraps up any loose ends you may find with the finale of the original anime.
Mirai Nikki: Redial explores the relationships between the characters after the Diary Games. With a run time of just about 25 minutes long, this OVA can easily serve an extra final episode.
A Little Extra
If you have watched the original anime and the OVA and you still want some more Mirai Nikki, then there is a very short OVA available although it does not contain much new content.
The original OVA was released in 2010 and was bundled in with the eleventh volume of the manga. It is only eight minutes long, and serves more of a trailer to the original Mirai Niki anime than it does standing as its own OVA.
Most of what features here is just animated fragments of the manga before the original anime was released in 2011.
You won’t find much new content here but if you are a dedicated fan who wants to watch it all, then you may want to watch this very short OVA as well.
What About Season 2?
Unfortunately, there is no second season of Mirai Nikki. The story is wrapped up neatly in the original anime and Mirai Nikki: Redial, using up all the chapters from the manga.
Unless Mirai Nikki is revived or rebooted, we do not expect any new Mirak Nikki content any time soon. It’s heartbreaking news to hear for fans, but sadly, this is all the anime content available for Mirai Nikki (Future Diary).
Alternate Content
If you found yourself absolutely in love with Mirai Nikki and can’t believe that there’s no more anime-content to watch, then you could always read the manga.
The Mirai Nikki (Future Diary) manga was first serialised in 2006, and as of 2011, is available in twelve tankobon volumes. The author Sakae Esuno also went on to write two side story mangas, each one spanning about five chapters.
The first was Future Diary: Mosaic, which follows another diary holder and reveals more plot points that were left out of the original story. The second side story follows the two characters of Aru Akise and Muru Muru as they live in an alternate timeline.
Conclusion
And that’s our recommendation on how to watch Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)! It’s best to watch the original anime first with Mirai Nikki: Redial serving as a bonus finale episode.
For extra content, we recommend watching the original OVA and even dipping your toes into the manga to fully understand the events of the Diary Game.
Now, all that’s left for you to do is to sit down with some popcorn and start watching!
